The threat of a spillover war from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, including the use of nuclear weapons, has residents in Sweden on high alert.
The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency has issued instructions on air raid drills as it tests its warning system. A for residents on how to prepare for war is once again making the rounds around the country.
First distributed by the government in 1943 during World War Two, it was regularly circulated during the Cold War and revived again in 2018 following activity by Russia’s military in Crimea and in Swedish airspace.
Residents are now taking the 20-page leaflet to the supermarket to check off the necessary supplies to survive needing to flee, or spending time in an air raid shelter.
Jan Axelsson, who lives in Umeå in northern Sweden, describes the experience as surreal.
"I think it feels so surreal in so many ways that we jump back 40, 50 years in time," the 53-year-old told SBS News.
Jan Axelsson, 53, lives in the northern Swedish city of Umea. Source: SBS News
Mr Axelsson said people are not reacting out of fear, but with a clear-eyed gaze at the risk.
"We can't be naive about the situation we face today," he said.
"It could be a crisis, a really big one for the whole world, for Europe and for Sweden."
Jan Axelsson writes on Facebook it has been "surreal" going through the steps to stock up items in the event of war reaching Sweden.
Last week, four Russian fighter jets briefly entered Swedish territory over the Baltic Sea, the Swedish Armed Forces said, sparking a swift condemnation from Sweden's defence minister Peter Hultqvist.
"It will lead to a firm diplomatic response from Sweden. Swedish sovereignty and territory must always be respected," he said.
Mr Axelsson said the threat of Russia's aggression is something Swedes have encountered before - and this time it is more pronounced.
"In my generation, we grew up with the nuclear threat in so many ways ... not with a direct threat against Sweden, like now, but we had a threat.
"And it is a little bit like a time warp back to the Soviet Union.”
Surge of support for NATO membership
After countries including Finland and Sweden held a virtual summit on the situation in Ukraine on Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says both nations will be present at future meetings on NATO’s response to Russia's invasion.
Hours after the meeting, Finland’s Prime Minister, Sanna Marin, said that her country would join NATO if the national security situation becomes “acute”.
Sweden's Prime Minister, Magdalena Andersson, said the decision to join NATO would be taken by "itself and independently".
Sweden's Foreign Minister, Ann Linde, said NATO was important and productive to her country.
"The partnership with NATO is a central part of Sweden’s security and defence policy."
Public sentiment has shifted over the last week, with two news polls documenting a surge in support in both Sweden and Finland for NATO membership.
On 28 February, Finnish public broadcaster YLE released the results of a poll it commissioned, showing 53 per cent supported the idea - a rise of 34 per cent in five years.
Similarly in Sweden for the first time, a majority (51 per cent) support NATO membership, according to a poll published on Friday by Demoskop polling company, which was commissioned by Aftonbladet newspaper.
In Sweden’s parliament, the third-largest party, the right-wing Sweden Democrats, signalled it is reviewing its opposition to NATO membership - opening a path to achieving a majority in parliament if others join.
"We are analysing the situation now, hour by hour more or less, looking at the NATO issue, looking at other security policy collaborations and what we can do," Aron Emilsson, foreign policy spokesperson for the Sweden Democrats told Swedish Radio.
"It is clear that everything is put in a completely different light right now," he said.
Sweden's centre-right opposition has long called for membership but the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Greens and the nationalist Sweden Democrats have resisted the move.
Russia, Belarus suspended from Baltic Sea States alliance
Both Nordic countries stand apart from Denmark and Norway, which are both members of the NATO alliance.
Sweden and Finland already have very close cooperation with NATO and Mr Stoltenberg said in January the two countries could join the alliance "very quickly" if they decided to apply for membership.
When Sweden joined the EU in 1995, it switched from a policy of what it called neutrality to "non-alignment" on military involvement and the question of joining NATO.
The policy was in keeping with the decision Sweden made to not actively take part in war after signing the Convention of Moss in 1814, which ended a brief conflict with Norway.
That meant the nation did not back a side in World War Two, although it was criticised for allowing German troops to use Swedish railways to go between Germany and Finland.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has pushed Sweden and Finland to break with their policy of not sending weapons into war zones.
The last time Sweden sent weapons to a war zone was in 1939 when it moved arms to Finland when the Soviet Union attacked.
Members of the Council of Baltic Sea States (CBSS), including Sweden and Finland, on Thursday, announced the suspension of Russia and Belarus from the group.
"Nothing can justify Russia’s illegal use of force. We must now draw the necessary conclusions. We see no possibility to continue our cooperation as envisaged with the Russian Federation within the framework of the CBSS," Sweden’s foreign affairs ministry said.
Russia is sensitive to any military build-up in Finland, which shares the European Union's longest border with Russia stretching 1,340 km.
That geography underlies previous military entanglements with Finland, which was invaded by half a million Soviet troops in 1939 after being part of Russia prior to 1917. It was in 1809 when Sweden ceded Finland to Russia.
Mr Axelsson said he takes reassurance in his preparations for the prospect of war reaching Sweden.
"Danger is real, but how we relate to our emotions - to fear... fear is constructed in our brains. We try to guess what Putin thinks or what he will do. But we will never know that fully. But what we can affect is our lives.
"I think the most provocative thing we can do is just to live. To live free. And to decide our own lives."
With Reuters
